world
factbook
Aruba
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, semi-autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.

geography

location

Central America and the Caribbean
12.30° N, 69. 58° W
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

area

180 sq km
land
180 sq km
water
0 sq km

land boundaries

0 km

coastline

68.5 km

climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

terrain

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

elevation

lowest point
Caribbean Sea
0
highest point
Ceru Jamanota
188

natural resources

  • NEGL
  • white sandy beaches foster tourism

land use

arable land
11.1 %
permanent crops
0 %
permanent pasture
0 %
forest
2.3 %
other
86.6 %

population distribution

most residents live in or around Oranjestad and San Nicolaas; most settlments tend to be located on the less mountainous western side of the island

people

population

  • 119,428
  • 189
    global rank

nationality

  • Aruban(s)
    noun
  • Aruban; Dutch
    adjective

ethnic groups

Aruban
66 %
Colombian
9.1 %
Dutch
4.3 %
Dominican
4.1 %
Venezuelan
3.2 %
Curacaoan
2.2 %
Haitian
1.5 %
Surinamese
1.2 %
Peruvian
1.1 %
Chinese
1.1 %
other
6.2 %

languages

  • Papiamento
    official; a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak
  • Spanish
  • English
    widely spoken
  • Dutch
    official
  • Chinese
  • other
  • unspecified

religions

Roman Catholic
75.3 %
Protestant
4.9 %
Jehovah's Witness
1.7 %
other
12 %
none
5.5 %
unspecified
0.5 %

birth rate

  • 12.1
    per 1,000 population
  • 160
    global rank

death rate

  • 8.7
    per 1,000 population
  • 67
    global rank

urban population

43.7 %

major urban areas

  • Oranjestad
    pop. 30,000

life expectancy

  • 77.5
    total population
  • 78
    global rank
74.4
male
80.7
female

government

country name

    conventional

  • Country of Aruba
    long form
  • Aruba
    short form

    local

  • Land Aruba (Dutch); Pais Aruba (Papiamento)
    long form
  • Aruba
    short form

government type

parliamentary democracy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

capital

Oranjestad
12.31 N, 70.2 W

independence

national holidays

  • National Anthem and Flag Day
    18 March

legal system

civil law system based on the Dutch civil code

age of suffrage

18

flag description

blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner; the star represents Aruba and its red soil and white beaches, its four points the four major languages (Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, English) as well as the four points of a compass, to indicate that its inhabitants come from all over the world; the blue symbolizes Caribbean waters and skies; the stripes represent the island's two main "industries": the flow of tourists to the sun-drenched beaches and the flow of minerals from the earth

national colors

  • blue
  • yellow
  • red
  • white

national anthem

"Aruba Deshi Tera" (Aruba Precious Country)

economy

overview

Tourism, petroleum bunkering, hospitality, and financial and business services are the mainstays of the small open Aruban economy. Tourism accounts for a majority of economic activity; as of 2017, over 2 million tourists visited Aruba annually, with the large majority (80-85%) of those from the US. The rapid growth of the tourism sector has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction continues to boom, especially in the hospitality sector. Aruba is heavily dependent on imports and is making efforts to expand exports to improve its trade balance. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US, the Netherlands, and Panama being the major suppliers. In 2016, Citgo Petroleum Corporation, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, and the Government of Aruba signed an agreement to restart Valero Energy Corp.'s former 235,000-b/d refinery. Tourism and related industries have continued to grow, and the Aruban Government is working to attract more diverse industries. Aruba's banking sector continues to be a strong sector; unemployment has significantly decreased.

GDP

4,158,000,000.0,000,005 USD
2017

agriculture products

  • aloes
  • livestock
  • fish

budget

  • 681,600,000
    revenue (USD)
  • 755,500,000
    expenditures (USD)

communications

telephones

    fixed lines

  • 35,000
    total subscriptions
  • 168
    global rank

    mobile cellular

  • 141,000
    total subscriptions
  • 189
    global rank

broadcast media

2 commercial TV stations; cable TV subscription service provides access to foreign channels; about 19 commercial radio stations broadcast (2017)

internet

.aw
country code

    users

  • 113,277
    total
  • 97.17
    % of population
  • 178
    global rank

energy

electricity access

95.6%
2012

transportation

air transport

    national system

  • 3
    registered air carriers
  • 2,120,578
    annual passenger traffic

    airports

  • 1
    total
  • 1
    paved

roadways

1,000 km
total length

military

This entry doesn't have any available military data.